Background And Aims: In order to re-establish lichen symbiosis, fungal spores must first germinate and then associate with a compatible photobiont. To detect possible establishment limitations in a sexually reproducing cyanolichen species, we studied ascospore germination, photobiont growth and photobiont association patterns in Pectenia plumbea.
Methods: Germination tests were made with ascospores from 500 apothecia under different treatments, and photobiont growth was analysed in 192 isolates obtained from 24 thalli. We determined the genotype identity [tRNALeu (UAA) intron] of the Nostoc cyanobionts from 30 P. plumbea thalli from one population. We also sequenced cyanobionts of 41 specimens of other cyanolichen species and 58 Nostoc free-living colonies cultured from the bark substrate.
Key Results: Not a single fungal ascospore germinated and none of the photobiont isolates produced motile hormogonia. Genetic analyses revealed that P. plumbea shares Nostoc genotypes with two other cyanolichen species of the same habitat, but these photobionts were hardly present in the bark substrate.
Conclusions: Due to the inability of both symbionts to thrive independently, the establishment of P. plumbea seems to depend on Dendriscocaulon umhausense, the only cyanolichen species in the same habitat that reproduces asexually and acts as a source of appropriate cyanobionts. This provides support to the hypothesis about facilitation among lichens.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6798828 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcz052 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Mixed and membrane-separated culturing of synthetic cyanobacteria-yeast consortia reveals metabolic cross-talk mimicking natural cyanolichens.
Sci Rep
October 2024
Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99354, USA.
Metabolite exchange mediates crucial interactions in microbial communities, significantly impacting global carbon and nitrogen cycling. Understanding these chemically-mediated interactions is essential for elucidating natural community functions and developing engineered synthetic communities. This study investigated membrane-separated bioreactors (mBRs) as a novel tool to identify transient metabolites and their producers/consumers in mixed microbial communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHost specialization and spatial divergence of bacteria associated with Peltigera lichens promote landscape gamma diversity.
Environ Microbiome
August 2024
Instituto Milenio Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Antárticos y Subantárticos (BASE), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, 7800003, Chile.
Article Synopsis
- Lichens serve as unique micro-ecosystems that host diverse bacteria, and their study can reveal how these bacteria adapt to different environmental conditions across various geographical locations, particularly in the Chilean Patagonia.
- Research focused on three microenvironments related to Peltigera cyanolichens showed that the evolutionary history of the host and local climate strongly shape bacterial communities, leading to low diversity but distinct compositions within lichen thalli compared to surrounding soils and substrates.
- The study concludes that Peltigera thalli act as fragmented habitats which support a collection of specialized bacterial communities, highlighting the importance of conserving lichens for sustaining diverse microbial life.
Description of new micro-colonial fungi species , cultured from biological soil crusts.
bioRxiv
June 2024
Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA.
Black yeasts and relatives comprise Micro-Colonial Fungi (MCFs) which are slow-growing stress-tolerant micro-eukaryotes that specialize in extreme environments. MCFs are paraphyletic and found in the Orders () and (). We have isolated and described three new MCFs species from desert biological soil crusts (BSCs) collected from two arid land regions: Joshua Tree National Park (Mojave Desert) and UC Natural Reserve at Boyd Deep Canyon (confluence of Mojave and Sonoran Deserts).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcquisition of green algal photobionts enables both chlorolichens and chloro-cyanolichens to activate photosynthesis at low humidity without liquid water.
AoB Plants
June 2024
Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China.
Article Synopsis
- Cyanobacteria need liquid water to photosynthesize, while green algae can do so with just water vapor. In certain trans-Himalayan areas, some species that usually host cyanobacteria were found to also contain green algae.
- Research involved collecting samples from high elevations (2000 to 4000 m) and analyzing them for chlorophyll content to evaluate green algal abundance, alongside genetic sequencing for identification. Results indicated that these organisms should be classified as chloro-cyanolichens, with both green algae and cyanobacteria present.
- Experiments showed that various species could perform photosynthesis even at low humidity levels (33%) and that chlorophyll levels were similar between different species; however,
Laboratory and field measurements of water relations, photosynthetic parameters, and hydration traits in macrolichens in a tropical lower montane rainforest in Thailand.
J Plant Res
July 2024
Lichen Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Hua Mark, Bang Kapi, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand.
Ecophysiological studies of lichens in tropical Asia are rare, and additional studies can increase the understanding of lichen life in this region. The main aim of this study was to observe the relationships between water availability and photosynthetic parameters, as well as hydration trait parameters, in macrolichens during the rainy and dry seasons in a tropical forest. A total of 11 lichen species growing in a lower montane rainforest in Thailand were collected and studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!